Students study excerpts from Sinclair Lewis, "Babbitt" for its accuracy and socio-economic point of view. They rewrite a portion of "Babbit" using the point of view of a Maine guide.

Students examine levels of language difficulty for different audiences. They explore how to simplify texts to suit a younger audience. Students use a thesaurus to find synonyms. Students select a news article to rewrite. They create...

Second graders create puppets out of pipe cleaners and, in groups, put on a puppet show based on a section of a story they have read from their readers.

Eighth graders identify the different layers of the earth. In this earth science instructional activity, 8th graders choose a project to do from a given list according to their learning style. They present their finished project in class.

Third graders review common fairy tales and work in teams to rewrite the fairy tales as news articles. They answer questions using the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, why). Student articles include eye-catching headlines.

Students read and interpret the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. They interlock this poem to other spectacular people or events such as Amelia Earhart and the Bermuda Triangle. A vast array of excellent assignments are given within this...

Students read and interpret the play Oedipus by Sophocles. A wide array of fabulous thought provoking assignments are intertwined within this lesson for the students to complete.

Students read Chasing Vermeer and relate the book to the author .  In this writing process lesson, students view Blue's Photo Album and see how the author writes and revises her work. Students discuss the process that all good...

Fifth graders read and analyze the books "Snow White in New York" and "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughter." They analyze the characteristics of the characters in each story, write thoughts of characters in speech bubbles, and write a letter to...

High schoolers apply techniques of distinguishing between fact and opinion. Students identify words associated with persuasion and argument. High schoolers read and categorizer a variety of newspapers and articles. Students identfy bias...

Students create and write mini books.  In this Dr. Seuss activity, students bring in their favorite Dr. Seuss book, share why it is their favorite with the class and write a paragraph explaining why they like it.  Students...

Students research Egyptian hieroglyphics using print and Web resources. THey discuss Egyptian achievements in mathematics. Students explore how Egyptians used hieroglyphics to write numerals. They multiply and divide numbers using the...

Tenth graders read and analyze the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. They examine the setting, plot, and climax in the novel. Character descriptions, good, evil symbolic images within characters are dissected in detail with...

Students study about the stages of metamorphosis of a butterfly and then listen to and participate in the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The students then listen to the story in French and translate the French food words to English....

Students read and analyze the point of view of a selected classic short story. They take notes while reading the story, select a character, and rewrite the story from a different viewpoint.

Students explore language arts by researching fairy tale stereotypes. In this gender roles lesson, students read the stories Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White with their class. Students analyze the female characters...

Students complete a variety of activities as they explore/review the letter 'o' as it makes the short /o/ sound. They recite short /o/ tongue twisters and practice writing the letter 'o'. They rewrite 'Skip to My Lou" using short /o/...

Students listen to a folktale and determine the problem and solution in the story. They rewrite the ending by coming up with a different solution to the same problem. They interpret the problem and solution in the folktale and...

Fifth graders are introduced to the strategy TPRS (Total Physical Response Storytelling) for studying world languages. They utilize this strategy as a vehicle to storytelling and expand their vocabulary by contextualizing it in high...

Students explore fairy tales. In this fairy tales instructional activity, students analyze the main idea of a fairy tale and interpret it. Students then re-write the story from the point of view of another character or object in the story.

Students read about and discuss the reasons European countries were interested in the Ohio Valley. They complete a puzzle to review vocabulary and watch a video on the Illinois Prairie and the I & M Canal. They rewrite the historical...

Students find 20 words that are new to them. They write the definition and drawing or symbol to help them remember the meaning of the word. Students use the context of the word from the book to help figure out the meaning of the word.

Learners review their notes, drawings, photos and writing from the field trip to share with the whole group. They make a fiction or nonfiction storybook as a group. They include writing from all students and can include artwork and...

Students explore the effects of gender bias, stereotyping, and discrimination.